Quinoa, Beet & Arugula Salad

Which is your favorite beet for a quinoa and arugula salad?

1/2 pound beets
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 pound arugula, chopped
5 ounces goat cheese

Cook beets until tender, then peel and slice. Bring water to boil, add quinoa, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Whisk vinegar, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Remove quinoa from heat, add 1/2 of the salad dressing, cover, and refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour. Stir in onion, arugula, goat cheese, beets, and remaining dressing, toss, and serve.

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Posted on October 16, 2014

About Bunched Beets with Greens

Beet greens are often discarded in favor of their roots, which is unfortunate, because they contain a wonderful, earthy flavor and are highly nutritious. Use them as you would chard or spinach.

Beets are very low in cholesterol, and they are a good source of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, folate, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. They are especially good for cardiovascular health due to certain unique pigment antioxidants in the root, as well as in the green tops that have been found to protect against coronary artery disease and stroke, and lower cholesterol levels within the body. They are also reputed to provide relief for women from menstrual cramps.

Beet greens have almost twice the potassium of beet roots and higher amounts of beta carotene, an important antioxidant that helps fight numerous diseases. So eating both the root and the greens is especially nutritious—not to mention delicious!

To store beets, separate the leaves from the root, leaving an inch or two of the stems attached to the root. Remove any leaves that are damaged before storing the tops in a loosely wrapped plastic bag or a clean wet dish towel in the crisper section of the refrigerator, for no more than a few days. Roots should also be stored similarly—if left in the crisper unwrapped, they will quickly dehydrate and become soft.

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Posted on July 10, 2014

Grilled golden beets with brown butter vinaigrette on greens

Imagine the brilliant colors in this salad: sunny oranges and reds from the beets, toasty golden brown of the butter, and rich greens of the lettuces. Beautiful!

1 bunch golden beets (or any other beets), washed and cut into 1-inch slices
(Keep the tops; cut and reserve for salad)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons smoked Hungarian or sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme or 2 tablespoons ground thyme
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or vine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch reserved beet tops
1 bunch red leaf lettuce
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch romaine lettuce
1 bunch Italian parsley

In a bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, fennel, coriander, garlic and thyme. Add beets and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat a grill pan. Remove the beets from the bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on medium heat for 10 minutes until they turn brown, then transfer to a bowl. Meanwhile cook butter until it turns brown and starts to have a nutty smell (about 5-10 minutes). Add the sherry or vine vinegar and water. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the beets and serve it on the bed of greens.

Greens
Chop the spinach, beet tops, red leaf lettuce, arugula, romaine, and parsley into bite-sized pieces and combine in a bowl. Put a serving of greens on each plate and top with grilled browned buttered beets.

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Posted on July 10, 2014

Chioggia Beet Slaw on a Bed of Grilled Leeks

Chioggia beets are happy, candy-striped beets that add a smile to your slaw.

Chiogga Slaw
1/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
5 candy-stripe (Chioggia) beets, julienned or grated
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and orange zest and juice in a medium bowl. Add beets and carrot and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled Leeks
12 medium leeks, trimmed to about 7 inches, split length-
wise to within 1 1/2 inches of the root end
Olive oil for grilling

Tie the leeks in 4 bundles with kitchen string and put them in a kettle of boiling salted water. Boil them for 6 minutes or until they are just tender and drain them in a colander. Refresh the leeks under cold water and discard the strings. Brush the leeks with the oil and grill them on an oiled rack set 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden. Transfer the leeks as they are grilled to a platter and keep warm.

Vinaigrette
4 teaspoons dijon-style mustard
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced assorted fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the leeks and top with chioggia slaw.

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Posted on March 14, 2014

Fava Bean Borscht

Fava beans are great fresh, but you can also dry them and eat them in hearty soups, like this flavorful borscht. The crews have taste tested this particular recipe, and we give it a big thumbs up!

Make 2 quarts

1/2 cup Nash’s Windsor fava beans, dried
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup oil
1 medium leek or onion, sliced fine
2 sticks celery, sliced
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon Nash’s mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium turnip, sliced fine
4 medium potatoes, cut into eighths
4 medium beets, sliced
2 cups cabbage, sliced
2-3 cups water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dill, parsley or beet greens
Black pepper

Wash the favas and soak overnight, covered with water. Place beans in a pot with 3 cups fresh water, then add bay leaves and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat until tender. Do not drain.

Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add leeks/onions, celery, caraway seeds, mustard seeds and garlic, and cook until tender. Add carrots, turnip, potatoes and beets, and simmer 3-5 minutes until veggies are tender. Combine with cooked fava beans. Add water, vinegar, dill, pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in sliced cabbage. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.

We thank Mary Wong of our Nash’s Farm Store crew for this recipe.

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Posted on March 6, 2014

Breakfast Menu: Parsnip Pancakes and Energy Boost Juice

Parsnips for breakfast? Definitely, especially if they’re in pancakes drizzled with honey yogurt sauce!

Energy Boost Juice

5 large carrots
3 small apples
1 small cylinder beets
1 leaf kale
1 cup parsley
1 cup wheat grass

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

Breakfast Parsnip Pancakes

1/2 cups Nash’s flour
1 1/2 cups grated parsnips
1-3 teaspoons sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter and more for the skillet
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix in all wet ingredients until well incorporated. Heat a large greased skillet over medium heat and place 1/4-cup-size dollops of mixture evenly in skillet. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot off the skillet with maple syrup and butter. Also wonderful after they are cool dipped into honey yogurt sauce.

Honey Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey

Mix well for a wonderful dip for fruit or just about anything.

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Posted on February 28, 2014

Roasted Beets with Mustard

You can’t beet these beets!

2 pounds small beets (12-16 beets)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Scrub the beets well and cut in half lengthwise. Toss the beets with oil on a baking sheet with sides. Arrange cut-side down and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then peel off and discard the skins.

Cut the beets into matchsticks. Place in a serving bowl and toss with scallions, mustard and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

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Posted on February 19, 2014

Roasted Beet and Brussels Sprout Salad

Brussels and beets and bacon, oh my!

6-8 beets, cubed
1 pound Brussels sprouts, root end removed
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, left whole
1/2 to 1 pound bacon (optional)
3 teaspoons thyme
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup almonds, chopped (substitute your favorite)
1-2 cups mixed greens
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Cook bacon to your personal preference and set aside.

To a large roasting pan, add beets, Brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper, and toss with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, coating evenly.

Roast (uncovered) in oven at 400, until softened and browned; approximately 30 minutes.

Remove vegetables from oven and stir in bacon.

Arrange mixed greens on serving plate and top with vegetables.

Sprinkle almonds over vegetables and finish by drizzling remaining olive oil over entire dish.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

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Posted on February 18, 2014

Mild Beet Salsa

Cylinder beets are super-easy to peel and process because of their cylinder shape. They would make excellent salsa!

4 medium beets
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons shallots, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

To roast beets, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim tops off beets, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap them in aluminum foil (or put in small roasting pan with lid) and roast until tender, about 40-50 minutes. When cool enough, peel and dice the beets.

While beets are roasting, place the shallot, ginger, and olive oil in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Combine salsa and peeled/diced beets, stirring gently. Taste for seasoning.

Great served with fish, or eat alone as a salad!

For a similar recipe with a stronger kick, try our Beet Jalapeño Salsa recipe.

We thank Karolina Tracz for this recipe.

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Posted on February 14, 2014

Beet Chutney

The earthy flavor of the beet is balanced by sweet raisins, spicy ginger, and sweet-spicy red onion in this tasty recipe.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups chopped red onion
1 large beet or 2 small beets, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped, peeled, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds

Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped red onion and beet cubes. Cook until onion is tender but not brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water. Increase heat to high and boil until mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, raisins, sugar, ginger, mustard seeds, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beet cubes are tender and chutney is thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool.

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Posted on January 23, 2014